mahabis guide // winding down at the weekend

By mahabis

It’s a common experience to feel like your weekends are slipping away. With working hours creeping later and later, weekends should be our respite, where we don’t have to feel guilty about relaxing. But in fact, for most people it seems to be the opposite; Saturdays and Sundays are spent rushing around...

mahabis guide // winding down at the weekend

It’s a common experience to feel like your weekends are slipping away. With working hours creeping later and later, weekends should be our respite, where we don’t have to feel guilty about relaxing. But in fact, for most people it seems to be the opposite; Saturdays and Sundays are spent rushing around and attempting to cram in as much as possible. It’s time to reclaim our weekends for ‘me time’.

Traditionally, Saturdays and Sundays have been seen as days of rest. They were the days that would be spent at leisure with the family. Over the decades, they have lost their meaning and have become associated with catching up on chores and making up for lost time in the week. Even those who seek to spend their time embracing a slower lifestyle can attempt to cram too much into their two days off a week.

When we work busy jobs and have little time to spend with our family and friends during the week, it can often become increasingly tempting to try and do too much at the weekend. But weekends are for winding down and recharging. So why not embrace a slower weekend and reclaim more time for ourselves? Whether that be lounging on the sofa, having a drink with friends, or getting out of the city - winding down can be whatever works for you.

It's sometimes a good idea to keep things to a minimum and allow plenty of time to yourself to rest and recuperate ready to face another working week. You don’t always have to have company to enjoy your weekends. Spending an evening on the sofa with a good book or catching up on your favourite TV series is more than fine. If your weekdays are a bombardment of people and information, then the weekends are the perfect opportunity to switch off and enjoy a little ‘me time’.

There’s no reason to feel guilty about indulging in a lie in at the weekend. Most of us tend to wake at the crack of dawn during the week, so what are a few extra hours of lounging around or enjoying breakfast in bed on a Sunday morning? There's no need to make plans until early afternoon; instead why not enjoy long, lingering slow mornings where you take your time to rise, reading the Sunday papers in your slippers as you enjoy an indulgent brunch. It’s moments like these, when we slow down, and concentrate on the moment we're in, that we end up enjoying the simple pleasures in life.

To get the most out of our weekends, and to really wind down, it makes sense to void your time of distractions, and simply focus on yourself. Of course, make time for family and friends, but be prepared to say no when you feel like you’ve taken on too much and you just fancy some me-time. Take things back a couple of decades and revisit the traditional use of the weekend; days of rest.

photos: via pexels, unsplash, flickr, elisabet dominguez, basti93

Nov 04, 2016

mahabis guide // winding down at the weekend

It’s a common experience to feel like your weekends are slipping away. With working hours creeping later and later, weekends should be our respite, where we don’t have to feel guilty about relaxing. But in fact, for most people it seems to be the opposite; Saturdays and Sundays are spent rushing around and attempting to cram in as much as possible. It’s time to reclaim our weekends for ‘me time’.

Traditionally, Saturdays and Sundays have been seen as days of rest. They were the days that would be spent at leisure with the family. Over the decades, they have lost their meaning and have become associated with catching up on chores and making up for lost time in the week. Even those who seek to spend their time embracing a slower lifestyle can attempt to cram too much into their two days off a week.

When we work busy jobs and have little time to spend with our family and friends during the week, it can often become increasingly tempting to try and do too much at the weekend. But weekends are for winding down and recharging. So why not embrace a slower weekend and reclaim more time for ourselves? Whether that be lounging on the sofa, having a drink with friends, or getting out of the city - winding down can be whatever works for you.

It's sometimes a good idea to keep things to a minimum and allow plenty of time to yourself to rest and recuperate ready to face another working week. You don’t always have to have company to enjoy your weekends. Spending an evening on the sofa with a good book or catching up on your favourite TV series is more than fine. If your weekdays are a bombardment of people and information, then the weekends are the perfect opportunity to switch off and enjoy a little ‘me time’.

There’s no reason to feel guilty about indulging in a lie in at the weekend. Most of us tend to wake at the crack of dawn during the week, so what are a few extra hours of lounging around or enjoying breakfast in bed on a Sunday morning? There's no need to make plans until early afternoon; instead why not enjoy long, lingering slow mornings where you take your time to rise, reading the Sunday papers in your slippers as you enjoy an indulgent brunch. It’s moments like these, when we slow down, and concentrate on the moment we're in, that we end up enjoying the simple pleasures in life.

To get the most out of our weekends, and to really wind down, it makes sense to void your time of distractions, and simply focus on yourself. Of course, make time for family and friends, but be prepared to say no when you feel like you’ve taken on too much and you just fancy some me-time. Take things back a couple of decades and revisit the traditional use of the weekend; days of rest.

When considering which country has the best work/life balance, most of us would immediately think of one of the Nordic countries boasting the happiest people in the world: Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Norway or Finland. You may be surprised to learn that recent studies placed Belgium in the top five for a healthy work/life balance.

belgium //

Ranked behind only Denmark, Spain and the Netherlands, Belgium is currently in fourth position on the OECD’s (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) list of the countries with the best work/life balance. Based upon average working hours, pay, quality of life and several other criteria, this ranking places Belgium at leaps and bounds in front of other nations, including the UK, the US and even Sweden.

It may be because the Belgians offer up to 30 days of annual leave a year (including public holidays) or linked to their shorter working hours; but it is likely also linked to their general attitude towards work. Similar to other countries that rank highly on the index, Belgian’s see work as a means of living, rather than allowing it to consume their lives.

holidays //

One of the most important factors in determining the perfect work/life balance is how many holiday days’ workers are entitled to each year. Belgians who work five days a week are entitled to 20 days of annual leave a year – plus a generous 10 public holidays based around the Catholic calendar and important historical events.

In a slightly unusual twist, annual leave is calculated on the amount of days that employees worked during the previous year. However, measures are in place to ensure that those who start work at the beginning of January are still entitled to holidays.

Most people take their annual leave as a full months summer holiday in July or August, coinciding with school holidays to enjoy a well earned rest from work. Rather than having to beg your employer for longer holidays, the Belgians encourage taking your holiday allowance all at once to spend quality time with your family.

pay //

The salary system in Belgian is far from typical. Rather than being paid monthly twelve times a year, employee’s salaries are divided by 13.92 with two extra pay days each year at the times when expenses are most likely to soar.

In May, you are given an extra 92% of a month’s salary as vacation pay, to fund your expected month-long vacation over the summer. At the end of the year, around Christmas time, an extra month’s bonus is given (known as the 13th month’s pay). Rather than saving for holidays or for Christmas, this helps Belgians to organise their finances.

Salaries are also indexed, automatically increasing each year based on rising living costs. This inflation is based upon the health index (consumer price index minus tobacco, fuel and alcohol), and essentially means that the government assess the rising cost of living annually to raise salaries accordingly.

working hours //

Belgian law fixes typically working hours at 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week. These hours can be reduced by mutual agreement, but are rarely increased and it is a seldom occurrence for staff to work longer days.

The working day is typically 8.30 – 5.30 with an hours lunch break as standard. Occasionally management may exceed these working hours, but it is very rare for staff to work through their lunch break or stay at the office late into the night. In fact, only 5% of the population work exceedingly long hours.

The OECD observed average of daily time off is 15.46 hours, a figure which rises to 16.61 hours in Belgium.

photos: via upsplash

We look at some of Kim Høltermand's work, an award winning Danish photographer who captures some fascinating architecture and landscapes. Wrapped up in the busyness of our everyday lives, we often don't take the time to look around and appreciate our surroundings. So why not put your feet up and relax by gazing at some of the breathtaking architectural visuals that Kim has captured here.

Trailblazers of the hiphop scene in the early nineties, Arrested Development pushed the boundaries with the messages their music conveyed. Songs such as Mr Wendal and People Everyday are still enjoyed years after release, not just for their melodic mash-up of different genres, but also for the fact that they deal with social issues that are relevant today.

We talk to two members of the band, Speech and Fareedah, to find out more about what their lives are like after having released 12 albums. With much of their career spent busy touring and living on the road, the band share that there's rarely time to sit back and enjoy where they've got to. But when there's a chance for downtime, it's either spent in mahabis, meditating, unwinding to their tracks, or hiking.

Read on to find out who they look to for musical inspiration, as well as what their alternative career paths might have been...

before we begin, tell us about the path that led you guys to forming the band, and getting to where you are today?

FAREEDAH: In my case, the band was already formed, by the time I came along. I was selected from an audition process, to fill in for Eshe, while she was pregnant with her beautiful daughter. From then on I was an understudy and I would fill in for shows that she was unable to do.

Most of our readers will be familiar with your work, but if you could sum up Arrested Development in just three words, what would those words be?

Known as trailblazers of the hiphop scene in the early nineties - how has your music evolved over the years since Mr Wendal and Tennessee?

SPEECH: Similar but updated!

FAREEDAH: I think the sound has evolved into a more eclectic mixture of all genres of music along with hip-hop and so there are elements of pop rock jazz Neo-Soul some of everything. The subject matter has evolved as well. Speaking to many issues occurring within our society that affect people all over the world, as it did back in the nineties the music reflects issues of the time and addresses them or at least sparks a conversation.

Who have been your biggest inspirations? and which emerging artists are you keeping an eye on at the moment?

SPEECH: Public Enemy to Prince. New artists: Drake to Jay-Z.

FAREEDAH: I absolutely love Michael Jackson I grew up listening to all of his albums and I loved watching him perform and his stage presence and his amazing dance moves. I also loved how his songs told a story. As I got older I also gravitated toward his sister Janet Jackson, for the same reasons. However, visually, I could relate to Janet even more because she was a beautiful young black woman doing all the same things which made me feel like I could do them too.

If you weren’t musicians, which other routes do you reckon you’d have gone down?

SPEECH: A depressed teacher ! Or a journalist.

FAREEDAH: Previously had I not been able to be a part of Arrested Development I probably would have been working a corporate gig somewhere in an office. Now however I've become a part of the circus I've become a part of the circuits Arts community studying aerial dance on silks, trapeze and Lyra... so if I wasn't a musician with Arrested Development I would probably be performing in that capacity.

There must have been some pretty hectic times in your career, did you have many chances to sit back, and enjoy where you’d got to?

SPEECH: Rarely. But Australia & Japan are exceptions.

FAREEDAH: Unfortunately we don't really get that much time to actually sightsee and explore the cities that we go to as much as we would like there were a few times in Australia where we were able to sightsee a bit, it doesn't happen that often, but I'm super excited when it does.

What tracks do you reach for when you want to relax?

How do you fit in downtime when you’re in the studio/ on tour?

SPEECH: Insist upon it, I like enjoying life in the moment.

FAREEDAH: I really don't like a lot of downtime. Whenever I'm not working I like to spend time with my family or check out a movie with my friends and just hang out. I really enjoy what I do for a living so I love spending my days doing it. Either rehearsing, training or teaching.

When and where do you wear your mahabis?

SPEECH: I work from my home recording studio, so I'm able to relax in what feels like house shoes while I'm tracking, but when I need a break from music, my wife & I LOVE to do a nature walk. Wearing my mahabis it's as easy as slipping on my soles and I'm off.

FAREEDAH: When I'm at the studio teaching Aerial dance, I'm usually barefoot. It's nice to be able to throw on some comfy slippers in between classes or while training. The removable soles make it so convenient to go from outside to inside, without having to completely take them off to walk through the space. They're especially nice in the winter months, I love them!

TASHA: When I'm home from being on the road, I teach voice lessons from my studio. I love wearing my mahabis because I can still look professional while wearing my slippers.

What are your tour essentials? The things you can’t leave behind.

SPEECH: Phone, computer and various cords!

FAREEDAH: My tour Essentials are definitely my phone so that I can take pictures, listen to music, and stay connected via Wi-Fi. I also like to make sure I have an extension cord with an array of power adapters. Headphones. I tend to pack a few snacks from home that I may not be able to find out on the road. I always pack a bathing suit, flip flops, my own soap and toothpaste.

How important is downtime for you all as individuals? What’s the ideal way you choose to to unwind?

SPEECH: Extremely important! Bike riding, hiking, eating.

FAREEDAH: If I'm not sleeping trying to rest and rejuvenate my body, I like to listen to music or sometimes I just sit in silence just to clear my mind in prayer and meditation.

What it’s in the pipeline for the year ahead?

SPEECH: More projects and a possible motion picture.

FAREEDAH: I'm looking forward to more shows traveling to more places that I haven't been yet I'm also looking forward to performing some of the new music that we've been cooking up and have yet to perform live, I think it's going to be really exciting.